"It’s going to be a great event, it’s going to be epic": Stafanie Taylor

Talking about the victory of the last edition, she shared, "We have some wonderful memories from this tournament. Winning in Kolkata was definitely the best memory… not just winning, but winning for the West Indies. That’s special. I’ve won other titles before, but winning that trophy for the people of the West Indies was amazing."



"What made it even more amazing was the fact that the Under-19 men won their World Cup a few months earlier and the men’s team won on the same day we did. For us, you could see the progression from going to semi-final to the semi-final, climbing the mountain (2010, 2012, 2014). So winning in India was like reaching the mountaintop," she further added.



As the tournament will be played on Windies soil, the expectation will be high from the home team to defend the title this year too. Talking about that, she expressed, "Expectations are high from us playing at home and it is important that we keep our composure and not get too much ahead of ourselves. We have to concentrate on how we want to play as a team. We know that the Caribbean is zooming in because they want to see great things and we want to do great things for the Caribbean. It is important that we keep focused on what is required on the field and remain relaxed off the field."



Having shared her memories, she wrote, "The game has evolved a lot since I started as a 16-year-old. The players are more classy and with more finesse. You see switch-hitting, reverse sweeps…it comprises so many new things. The players are definitely fitter and very athletic. The fielding standards have improved tremendously. It is amazing."



Talking about the team, she added, "In our side, we have Shamilia Connell who is our fastest. She has matured and knows her game and it’s really good to see that someone who we have been grooming now understands her game fully and can get wickets for us."



"From when we started back in May with the special camps organized by Cricket West Indies here in Antigua, the management, the coach, the trainer have been pushing the players to improve fitness and skills and I have seen tremendous improvement."



"I have seen a whole different level of fitness and you could see it when we played against South Africa in the recent ODIs and T20Is. The century by Hayley Matthews in Barbados in the fifth ODI was stunning. It was beautiful to be at the other end batting with her and to witness that kind of performance."



She further added, "Anisa Mohammed took a hat-trick in the T20Is and she continues to lead from the front. She started way back, I believe at age 15. Now she is one of the senior players. When you look at players getting older, that’s more experience and you tap into that experience and maturity out there in the middle. That’s what she offers the team, a level head, a focused individual who can make the right decisions under pressure."



Talking about playing in the West Indies, she shared, "I think the pitch in Guyana might be a bit slow. I have not played a lot there so we will go there and access and look to make a positive start. I know we will get great crowd support at the venue."



"The surface in St Lucia is a pretty good one, I’ve played there a lot of times and we enjoy the conditions at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground," she added.



Taylor expects this World T20 is going to be a great event. "In Antigua, I love playing at the Sir Vivian Richards Ground. You get great value for your shots and the atmosphere is great with the breeze coming across the ground. We just want this to be a wonderful tournament in three great venues. We want the fans to come out and enjoy seeing the best players in the world showing their skills and putting on a show. It will be great!"